Various short stories and updated book postings. Not to mention, ramblings of an analytical fool.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Casting Call

So yea. Mike went and put an idea in my head and of course, me being the anal-retentive nerd I am, couldn’t just write something up. Oh no, this took serious planning and plotting, thinking and decision making. Are you laughing at my inner dorkiness yet? If not you should be.

Anyway, as was asked, if the book you’re writing, or a book you’ve written, was made into a movie, who would you pick to star in it, to create it so to speak, in hopes that it lives up to your dreams of how the book is written in your mind?

After much pondering I can tell you, the only thing that has stayed true to a quick generalization when writing the book The Devil’s Angel, due out in January 2011, has been the main character and one other side character. This question posed to me made me sit back and really think. Because even though I could tell you off the top of my head who was originally chosen in my mind to give you an IDEA of what the characters should look like, they still didn’t hit the nail on the head.

So here goes, we’ll start with the behind the scenes stuff…

Director – Ridley Scott

This director has wowed me on more than one occasion. Any of the behind the scenes interviews and things I’ve seen on him is that yes, while he can be an opinionated hardass, he has a very keen attention to detail. I feel whole-heartedly he would take the vision of the book, and bring the little things out of it that most wouldn’t bat an eye at but that he would be able to relate with my mindset of why it’s important.

Music – Hans Zimmer

I could sit and listen to the entire soundtrack for the Last Samurai all day every day. I may not care for the movie, but you put the song ‘Spectres in the Fog’ to any movie clips like you were making a trailer, and I’m sure it would probably be something I would want to see. He knows how to compose songs that make you feel the arc of a story that much deeper.

Special Effects/Stunts – Dominic Tuohy/Mic Rodgers

These two are responsible for the special effects and stunts done in the movie Wanted. This was one of my all time face action movies. If I wanted people to do stunts and special effects and such that I would consider believable as far as how real they made it look, these would be the guys.

Set/Costume Design – Michael Ford/Deborah L. Scott

These two were responsible for the set and costumes of one of the most detailed movies in my mind, Titanic. Ford took old photos and sketches of Titanic, rooms in it, the common areas etc, and built sets around all of that. Scott took the painstaking task of going through countless hours of costume design, picking which ones needed downplaying, which ones to embellish on further, all the way to every single bead on most of Kate Winslet’s gowns in the movie. If you can’t tell yet, I like people who pay attention to detail.

Makeup Artist – Shannon Coppin

Granted I do not believe that she has ever done anything in movies, I could be wrong, but almost weekly I have been amazed at the things she comes up with for the show Supernatural. She’s worked through the ranks on the show and now oversees the whole makeup/makeup effects team for the show. She is one of the few that I find her brand of illusion in the makeup industry to be believable.

Now for the fun stuff… the Cast…

Zarek Rousseau – Jonathan Rhys Meyers

I had originally wrote Zarek with the mindset of someone like Joaquin Phoenix. But the more I’ve written about him, the more a different image has come to mind. Jonathan fits that image, that menacing look, and yet a smile that can make most women melt. The appeal for Zarek is that there is something a bit darker just below the surface of his good looks.

Daniel Kaine – Bruce Willis

I had always picked George Clooney as someone who kind of looked like Devrynne’s father in my head, but the more I thought about it, the more what I’d written about him screamed Bruce Willis. He has that ruggedness to him, much like one would think Daniel would have from having lived the life he had.

Sebastian Monroe – Colin Farrell

Sebastian is Devrynne’s best friend, and is described in the book as a cocky man, but always just slightly off-kilter, as if he is a little out of his element. I can think of no one better would be able to play the part of Sebastian and stay true to the man who wants to live a peaceful life and save the ones he loves.

Nathan Valini – Oded Fehr

Valini is pretty much the driving force of Devrynne’s lifelong vendetta. He is the man who is responsible for setting her on the path that led her straight into Zarek’s open arms. He is an ancient, but is not used to any women rejecting him, until Devrynne. Oded has that foreign charm, a kind of mysterious, arrogant air about him that is very appealing for Valini in my eyes.

Ava Accalia – Jessica Alba

Ava is Devrynne’s confidant, her only female companion, and she owes her life to her. Ava’s character is a wolf, Zarek’s animal companion, bound to a man she hates, but is known for her beauty although being extremely humble about it. She has a hidden pain inside of her, one that I think Jessica could pull off more eloquently than just about anyone else.

Luc – Raoul Bova

Okay so this actor is a little bit of a leap to play Zarek’s psychotic boss, but sue me. The character Luc, without giving too much away, is as sadistic as they come, and yet there is that charm about him that while you love to hate him, you can’t help but love him, even if it is you only love hating him. He has a certain appeal, an Adonis of sorts, a god among mortals. There is just something about Raoul that I feel screams entitlement. The looks he gets on his face at certain times makes me believe he could be treating a woman like dirt and make them believe it’s exactly what they wanted the whole time, which is the essence of Luc.

And last but not least…

Devrynne Kaine – Kate Winslet

This one was a no-brainer to me. This picture of Kate was what started the idea for the character to begin with and it has been an amazing ride ever since. There is never anyone else I see when I write Devrynne. The red curls, the eyes, the eyebrow, the lips, the attitude, everything down to the way she walks reminds me of Kate. Even now, years after I first started writing about her, I can’t see Kate on anything and not first think of Devrynne.

Readers Beware...

About Me

I am an aspiring writer who has found that achieving my dream seems just around the corner. Do I have fantasies of being famous... uh not so much. Do I have fantasies of being successful... who doesn't. Ultimately the goal is to be published. Whether my friends and family are the only ones who read my books is not an issue, just simply to be published.